Enma, Zoro’s New Sword

It’s rare to see a manga trending on social media, and even rarer for a specific chapter of a manga to be trending. After seeing what One Piece’s latest chapter has for us, I think it’s deserving of such attention. Act II of the Wano Arc comes to a close with Zoro getting the sword Enma, and it’s gonna kick some serious butt!

Recap

Hiyori stays in hiding in the north, but as promised, she bequeaths Zoro her fathers sword, Enma. The sword can actually drains its users of their Haki, making it powerful enough to cut through part of the island. Any other swordwielder would die, but not Zoro. He overpowers Enma and vows to master it.

On the day before the raid, the Alliance finalizes their plans and prepares to move out. Despite everything, though, the Alliance remains vastly outnumbered, with their allies in Rasetsu Town still locked up. Worse still, rumors have begun to spread of their plans, with even Orochi hearing of it. Regardless, there’s no stopping the drums of war as Act II of the Wano Arc comes to a close.

Review

I’ll be going back over the events of Act II much more in-depth. For now, I want to focus on what happened in this chapter, because we got a lot of big reveals and bombshells.

First, we got to talk about Enma. It just got introduced, and I’m already tempted to put it as one of the most powerful swords in manga. That sword could be the key to defeating Kaido! Shoot, if Zoro masters Enma, he may rival Hawkeye Mihawk.

Zoro may have been meant to have Enma. As it turns out, Zoro’s beloved sword, Wado Ichimonji, was forged by Emma’s own creator; they’re sister blades. If that’s not a sign that Zoro can tame Enma, I don’t know what is.

Better still, Luffy’s mastered his Armament Haki, which will let him hurt Kaido. He has a fighting chance now.

Unfortunately, we need to acknowledge the fact that the Alliance’s vastly outnumbered, Orochi knows they’re coming, and where they’re moving out from. I hoped that they could keep it a secret from him until the raid, but now the cats out of the bag. As worried as I am, though, I know the Alliance can win. It’s not the first time the Straw Hats have fought impossible odds, or for the fate of a country. Given how this could affect the entire world, though, the stakes are higher than ever.

This chapter manages to set us up perfectly for the final battle for Wano, and it deserves all the hype it’s getting. It Oda does this right, what comes next could make manga history. There’s no more time to hesitate. Next week, the war begins.

I Give “Enma” a 5/5. Perfect way to set up to One Piece’s biggest battle since Marineford.

Swords haven’t been as big a focus, but I think part of the Wano Arc’s goal is to rectify that. Wano’s based on medieval Japan, and the Samurai are held in high regard along with their swords. Some of the best swordsmiths in Japanese history are venerated.